Development of an Educational Program: Meditation Workshops for Educators in Post-secondary Programs at SFU
April 15th 2015
Due to my in-depth experience in meditation practice, I have seen my role in this contemplative inquiry program as what I would term a ‘meditation consultant.’ I have consulted my peers on meditation practice, through the sharing of my own experiences in class discussions, and by teaching it in condensed forms at the beginning of each class. This has, I hope, enhanced my classmates’ knowledge and understanding of the practice of meditation: a process by which we pay attention, non-judgmentally on the present moment, by bringing ourselves into single pointed concentration on the breath (Ergas, 2014, p.59). Through this process, one drops beneath the mind’s incessant chatter, and thus, shifts this chatter into stillness. Even my classmates who were initially reluctant to participate in the more traditional style of seated meditation now speak of its advantages in helping them to reach a more contemplative state. My class has collectively agreed that meditation practice has been instrumental in enhancing the connection within our cohort, by creating a ‘container’ with which we feel safe within; it is as if meditation has helped us deconstruct social barriers that inhibit us from becoming vulnerable in front of one another, when sharing in large group discussions. Nevertheless, many of my classmates have only had a taste of meditation, simply due to the limited class-time we have to dedicate to this particular contemplative practice. I intend to create an additional meditation workshop program that would run outside of class-time, in order to give the opportunity for SFU students and faculty – particularly in my program – to further explore meditation. I plan to do this through extended and consistent meditation workshops run throughout each semester.
This program that I am conceiving, is mostly inspired by the research and work of two post-secondary, holistic educators: Canadian Professor, Dr. John Jack Miller, who is based at the University of Toronto, and Japanese Professor Yoshiharu Nakagawa, from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. Both advocate the practice of meditation within educational institutions, and have implemented it into their respective holistic education curriculums. Their research has helped me determine that a series of meditation workshops in higher education would be highly appropriate. This research will be explored further in this paper, through the categories that Dr. John Miller has coined, “the four aspects of contemplation”(Nakagawa, 2000, 177). The themes for each of my workshops will be based on each of these “four aspects.” They are as follows:
Most of the educators within my cohort have had minimal experience with meditation practice. For some, they had not participated in it prior to joining the contemplative inquiry program. They came to this program wanting to learn how to teach contemplative practices to the students present within their respective work places (high school, elementary school, university, etc.). While contemplative practices are not limited to meditation, I believe, having a personal practice in the latter is imperative for any teacher or educator if they want to optimally transmit the teachings of contemplation. The reason being: traditional meditation is a practice in sitting in complete stillness and silence. Whilst other contemplative practices – dance, painting, music, writing, calligraphy, yoga, etc. – allow for one to reach internal stillness and self-understanding, meditation, in my opinion, surpasses these in terms of depth, simply due to the inaction that occurs. Stillness of the body, allows for an even stiller mind; this is especially true when one commits to consistent training in this method. As a writer, musician, yoga teacher, and long-term meditator, I have witnessed the inner transformation resulting from all of these contemplative practices. I have deduced, from a subjective experience, that meditation allows for the most intimate of contemplative experiences, and thus, the most internally transformative. This is indeed a biased perspective; however neuroscientific evidence reiterates some of these more personal claims. In Mind of the Meditator, Davidson et al. (2014) describe how in meditation, “the brain undergoes changes through a process called neuroplasticity, similar to the process of learning an instrument” (p. 25). However, meditation’s affect on neuroplasticity is far more potent, allowing the participant to more “rapidly achieve a form of inner enrichment…rewiring brain circuits to produce salutary effects on the entire body” (Davidson, et al. 2014, p. 26). Such findings encourage me to bring meditation further into education. Some of this neuroscience will need to be shared within my workshops, to help participants understand the process of meditation on a more visceral level.
My intention for this program is to guide SFU’s students and staff through weekly meditation practices, so that they can begin to feel, first hand, the insight and healing that can be achieved through regular training. In post-meditation discussions, the participants who are educators will discuss how to transmit these contemplative realizations to their students most successfully. I would classify educators from the SFU Faculty of Education as my specific target audience. Nevertheless, these meditation workshops would be open to all students and staff; the members who are not training to be educators can still emotionally profit from the relaxation that meditation infuses. Furthermore, they may develop a more authentic insight into their inner-self, which could benefit their personal relationships and interactions with the world at large. My overall aim is to kick-start a participant’s personal meditation practice; one that they will hopefully continue on a regular basis outside of these workshops, once they are completed.
The importance of my program, lies, firstly, in the pedagogical assumption that in order to be able to teach contemplatively, one must first understand the process intimately, on an individual level. If the popularity of meditation practice increases in educational domains (which at this point is very likely), educators may have to lead their students through “relaxation” or mindfulness exercises that involve meditation guidance. In order for the educators to feel comfortable in doing so, they must first understand their own inner experience with this particular practice. This relates to Dr. Miller’s aspects of self-learning and teaching from authentic self. According to Miller, inner exploration of the self is the key to discovering the authentic self from which we teach. (Collister, 2010, p. 76) Teaching from this authentic place “becomes a fulfilling and enriching experience” (Miller, 2001, p.7). Ultimately, my program will offer the opportunity for educators to feel confident in their understanding of the effects of meditation on body and mind. This, in turn, will support them in finding that authentic space.
Additionally, these workshops will be instrumental in helping educators to cope with daily stresses that result from highly pressured teaching schedules. Anyone in the teaching industry is aware that teaching requires a phenomenal energetic output, which can often lead to ‘burn out.’ Not only does meditation help one to more effectively transmit contemplative practices to their students, it also acts as a self-regulator, as is can lead to “lower blood pressure, slower rate of breathing, and a general slowing of metabolic processes” (Miller, 2007, p.179). Moreover, extensive meditation practice enhances one’s ability to observe stressful sensations “…without being carried away by them.” (Davidson, et al. p.25) Meta-analysis of brain scans has legitimized this observation, depicting how meditation results in “diminished activity in anxiety-related areas, such as the insular cortex and the amygdala” (Davidson, et al. p. 25). This ties in with Miller’s idea that being able cope with stress effectively is an imperative element to contemplative practice. It will be essential, in the pitching of this pilot program, to demonstrate through neuroscientific findings that the benefits of meditation are two-fold: on the one level, it can help educators to better look after their own mental health; which means, on another level, the educator will have more energetic stability to assist their students in overcoming their own daily life challenges.
I envisage these meditation workshops running weekly throughout each SFU semester. I plan to begin a pilot program with weekly workshops during the Fall semester of 2015, and hopefully have them regularly running through the Spring semester of the same academic year. The weekly workshops will run either in the evenings after weekday classes, or during weekend afternoons. Two workshops will be dedicated to each of the “four aspects” as outlined by Dr. Miller. To elaborate, the first two workshops will focus on coping with stress, the second two on development of self-learning, and so on. Each workshop will run for 2 hours and will include alternate ways of meditating. For the coping with stress sessions the participants will meditate over multiple incrementing time periods, punctuated with a free-writing exercise in-between. This will be a way of dealing with stressful thoughts, or as I term them ‘mind-snags,’ which are recurring thought-patterns based on emotional stories that do not serve the best interests of our mental health. The meditator will at first meditate for 5 minutes only; whatever recurring thoughts arise, are subsequently vented through a stream of consciousness writing process (another form of contemplative practice). They then return to their meditation practice, this time for 10 minutes. Afterwards, they repeat the clearing of thoughts through another writing exercise. This is followed by a 15 minute meditation and possibly even a 20 minute meditation. By dividing up the meditation sessions it allows beginning practitioners to engage in extended periods of mindfulness without the intimidation factor of having to sit still for a full standard meditation session (50 minutes). This form of meditation will serve as the beginning workshop series.
In the second workshop series – ‘the development of self-learning’ – we will experiment with meditation on sound through listening to music, with the hopes of deepening the participants’ introspection of self. By this point, members will already have had experience doing meditation in short sessions, so we would now begin to meditate for more extended periods, ranging from 30 – 40 minutes. The relaxation music will be performed live on guitars, as well as other instruments like Tibetan singing bowls and didgeridoos. The meditators will be required to use the sound vibrations of the music as a focal point in order to strengthen their concentration practice, assisted by guided imagery, orated by myself. The guidance will include body scans and visualizations that assist in becoming intimate with one’s internal nature. Afterwards, participants will be required to journal their insights again in a free writing style. A discussion will then take place between the group, allowing the members to openly share their insights and gain further knowledge of the workings of the mind, in both themselves and others.
The third workshop series is focused on overcoming a sense of disembodiment. In these workshops I intend to teach basic hatha yoga poses and qi gong breathing techniques, with a key focus on how to unite breath with bodily action. This reconnecting process of breath and body intends to ‘ground’ participants, by bringing energetic awareness to the entire body, rather than just isolating awareness in the mind, as we so often do. Partner exercises will also be done in order to move beyond this sense of separation between ‘self’ and ‘other.’ A short meditation as well as the usual journaling and discussion will follow these more physical activities.
The final workshop series is based on teaching from the authentic self; this will involve each participant teaching a personalized guided meditation to the group for roughly 10 minutes. This will cumulatively lead to the group participating in a 60-minute meditation, which will be the longest meditation within these workshops. By this stage, participants will ideally be comfortable enough in their practice, to be able to sit for more lengthy periods, as well as to guide the group. We will take turns in our guidance, preferably going around the circle, person by person.
These workshops are mostly influenced by Miller and Nakagawa’s claims on the importance of implementing meditation into education systems. In the Contemplative Practitioner, Dr. Miller claims his research has “found that meditation is very helpful in reducing the chatter in our minds and helps us focus more clearly” (Miller, 2014, p. 32). In doing so, our teaching presence simultaneously develops (Miller, 2001, p.7). Miller’s reasoning for this is that meditation allows for “the development of our deeper self rather than the ego.” (Miller, 2001, p.8) This “deeper self” is the authentic self that he lists in the four aspects; a self that, according to Dr. Nakagawa, does not just solely identify with a mind that “prevents us from knowing the deeper reality” (Nakagawa, 2000, p.179). It is this preventative mind that Miller is referring to as “the ego.” By moving beyond this mind, we can “teach from a deeper place [and, as a result,] experience connections with our students and colleagues.” (Miller, 2001, p. 8). In Education for Awakening, Dr. Nakagawa cites meditation as an essential contemplative practice in holistic education. His reasoning is heavily dependent on the findings of the eastern philosophical schools, all of which have utilized meditation practice as the “royal road to awakening…for thousands of years” (Nakagawa, 2000, p.177). The term “awakening” is referring to the cultivation of a spiritual wisdom in the practitioner that can bring clarity of one’s authentic self. In Buddhism, for example, this wisdom is called prajna; through its cultivation one can reach the ultimate form of clarity known as satori [enlightenment]. (Nakagawa, 2000, p. 196). I am in no way proposing, however, that educators need to reach a form of enlightenment in order to successfully teach meditation. What I am highlighting is the fact that meditation is a methodology that has been used consistently across all schools of eastern philosophy. This is a strong indicator that it is an effective practice in cultivating wisdom. It is for this very reason, I believe, that educators like Nakagawa feel it is an invaluable tool in an educator’s training and teaching. Moreover, Nakagawa (2000) makes clear that such inner wisdom or prajna cannot be taught through theoretical teaching but instead, must be “cultivated by practice” (p.176). To reiterate this pedagogical assumption, Nakagawa (2000) references fellow Japanese philosopher, Yasuo Yauasa, as stating:
“True knowledge cannot be obtained simply by means of theoretical thinking, but only through bodily recognition or realization; that is, through the utilization of one’s total mind and body…cultivation is a practice that attempts, so to speak, to achieve true knowledge by means of one’s total mind and body”(p. 176).
I agree with this pedagogical theory, that in order to have “true knowledge” of meditation one must have “bodily recognition” of the practice. As a result, I will make sure that the majority of my workshops emphasize the embodied experience of meditation. There will be some exploration of theory through our post-meditation discussions, but this intellectualization of meditation will be kept to a minimum.
The values that my meditation program adheres to are largely inspired by Nel Noddings “ethic of care” framework. Noddings poses the question: how can our natural inclination to care be extended from our private lives into the public life? (Beck & Cassidy, 2009, p.57) My program attempts to do that in a number of ways: firstly, the process of coming together each week to practice meditation will, I believe, initiate community within the group. It will, therefore, fit the ethics of care framework by offering “opportunities for people to connect with one another in relationships characterized by mutuality.” (Beck & Cassidy, 2009, p. 57) I plan to enhance this “mutuality,” by limiting the teacher-student hierarchy that often dominates these types of workshops. I will adopt the role of facilitator, rather than a traditional teacher-type role, in order to create that sense of equanimity between myself and my group members. Secondly, I endeavour to uphold the ethics of care framework by establishing that all dialogue between the group members is to be received in a non-judgmental fashion. This is so that participants feel comfortable to share their deepest insights into the nature of the mind’s workings. It is my aim for participants in this program to feel safe, through the open receptivity of our group dynamic. Meditation, by nature, is an intense practice that when done over extended periods can reveal blockages in our psyches that can be difficult to work through. Hence, it is vital for the space to be supportive to any challenges one might face before, after, or during these sessions. Finally, many of the meditations we do will incorporate a metta practice, which is the traditional Buddhist term for loving-kindness. In this type of meditation one focuses on the heart-centre, and visualizes an energetic form of love and compassion being emitted towards the person they wish to care for (Miller, 2007, p.180). The meditations, dialogues, and journaling aim to help participants to grow their “capacity to care” (Beck & Cassidy, 2009, p.58). This “capacity,” will ideally manifest as a care both towards oneself as well to others.
The on-going process of reflection and evaluation will be done through a collection of qualitative date through surveys and questionnaires filled out by group members at the end of each workshop segment, and also, at the end of the entire program. It will also be mandatory to complete an additional post-program survey and interview with myself, in which any longer term effects from consistent meditation can be explored further. Potential questions might include:
Conclusively, I believe there is a great need and growing hunger for meditation in education. Through this program, I hope to begin the embedding of this particular contemplative practice into the SFU education system, with the overall intention of helping students and faculty members develop the “fours aspects of contemplation.” No doubt, certain obstacles will arise due to the discomfort many feel with the implementation of what is thought of as a spiritual or (quasi)-religious practice into a secular institution. Nonetheless, I am confident that the neuroscientific findings of meditations benefits will help overcome any type of backlash that may result from the introduction of my program.
References
Beck, K., & Cassidy, W. (2009) Embedding the Ethic of Care in School Policies and Practices. In Te-Riele, K. (Ed.), Making Schools Different: Alternative Approaches to Educating Young People (55-64). New York, NY: SAGE.
Collister, Rupert C. (2010). A Journey in Search of Wholeness and Meaning. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang AG, International Academic Publishers.
Davidson, Richard J., & Ricard M., & Lutz A. (2014, November). Mind of the Meditator. Scientific American, 311, 24-29.
Ergas, Oren. (2014). Mindfulness in Education at the Intersection of Science, Religion, and Healing.” Critical Studies in Education, 55:1, 58-72.
Miller, John P. (2007). The Holistic Curriculum. Toronto, Canada: OISE Press Inc.
Miller, John. P. (2001). Holistic Education in Japan: A Gaijan’s (foreigner’s) Journey. Retreived from https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/32407/1/HE%20in%20Japan.pdf.
Nakagawa, Yoshiharu. (2000). Education for Awakening: An Eastern Approach to Holistic Education. Brandon, Vermont: Foundation for Education Renewal.
This program that I am conceiving, is mostly inspired by the research and work of two post-secondary, holistic educators: Canadian Professor, Dr. John Jack Miller, who is based at the University of Toronto, and Japanese Professor Yoshiharu Nakagawa, from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. Both advocate the practice of meditation within educational institutions, and have implemented it into their respective holistic education curriculums. Their research has helped me determine that a series of meditation workshops in higher education would be highly appropriate. This research will be explored further in this paper, through the categories that Dr. John Miller has coined, “the four aspects of contemplation”(Nakagawa, 2000, 177). The themes for each of my workshops will be based on each of these “four aspects.” They are as follows:
- Coping with daily stress
- Development of self-learning
- Overcoming a sense of disembodiment/separateness
- Teaching from the authentic Self
Most of the educators within my cohort have had minimal experience with meditation practice. For some, they had not participated in it prior to joining the contemplative inquiry program. They came to this program wanting to learn how to teach contemplative practices to the students present within their respective work places (high school, elementary school, university, etc.). While contemplative practices are not limited to meditation, I believe, having a personal practice in the latter is imperative for any teacher or educator if they want to optimally transmit the teachings of contemplation. The reason being: traditional meditation is a practice in sitting in complete stillness and silence. Whilst other contemplative practices – dance, painting, music, writing, calligraphy, yoga, etc. – allow for one to reach internal stillness and self-understanding, meditation, in my opinion, surpasses these in terms of depth, simply due to the inaction that occurs. Stillness of the body, allows for an even stiller mind; this is especially true when one commits to consistent training in this method. As a writer, musician, yoga teacher, and long-term meditator, I have witnessed the inner transformation resulting from all of these contemplative practices. I have deduced, from a subjective experience, that meditation allows for the most intimate of contemplative experiences, and thus, the most internally transformative. This is indeed a biased perspective; however neuroscientific evidence reiterates some of these more personal claims. In Mind of the Meditator, Davidson et al. (2014) describe how in meditation, “the brain undergoes changes through a process called neuroplasticity, similar to the process of learning an instrument” (p. 25). However, meditation’s affect on neuroplasticity is far more potent, allowing the participant to more “rapidly achieve a form of inner enrichment…rewiring brain circuits to produce salutary effects on the entire body” (Davidson, et al. 2014, p. 26). Such findings encourage me to bring meditation further into education. Some of this neuroscience will need to be shared within my workshops, to help participants understand the process of meditation on a more visceral level.
My intention for this program is to guide SFU’s students and staff through weekly meditation practices, so that they can begin to feel, first hand, the insight and healing that can be achieved through regular training. In post-meditation discussions, the participants who are educators will discuss how to transmit these contemplative realizations to their students most successfully. I would classify educators from the SFU Faculty of Education as my specific target audience. Nevertheless, these meditation workshops would be open to all students and staff; the members who are not training to be educators can still emotionally profit from the relaxation that meditation infuses. Furthermore, they may develop a more authentic insight into their inner-self, which could benefit their personal relationships and interactions with the world at large. My overall aim is to kick-start a participant’s personal meditation practice; one that they will hopefully continue on a regular basis outside of these workshops, once they are completed.
The importance of my program, lies, firstly, in the pedagogical assumption that in order to be able to teach contemplatively, one must first understand the process intimately, on an individual level. If the popularity of meditation practice increases in educational domains (which at this point is very likely), educators may have to lead their students through “relaxation” or mindfulness exercises that involve meditation guidance. In order for the educators to feel comfortable in doing so, they must first understand their own inner experience with this particular practice. This relates to Dr. Miller’s aspects of self-learning and teaching from authentic self. According to Miller, inner exploration of the self is the key to discovering the authentic self from which we teach. (Collister, 2010, p. 76) Teaching from this authentic place “becomes a fulfilling and enriching experience” (Miller, 2001, p.7). Ultimately, my program will offer the opportunity for educators to feel confident in their understanding of the effects of meditation on body and mind. This, in turn, will support them in finding that authentic space.
Additionally, these workshops will be instrumental in helping educators to cope with daily stresses that result from highly pressured teaching schedules. Anyone in the teaching industry is aware that teaching requires a phenomenal energetic output, which can often lead to ‘burn out.’ Not only does meditation help one to more effectively transmit contemplative practices to their students, it also acts as a self-regulator, as is can lead to “lower blood pressure, slower rate of breathing, and a general slowing of metabolic processes” (Miller, 2007, p.179). Moreover, extensive meditation practice enhances one’s ability to observe stressful sensations “…without being carried away by them.” (Davidson, et al. p.25) Meta-analysis of brain scans has legitimized this observation, depicting how meditation results in “diminished activity in anxiety-related areas, such as the insular cortex and the amygdala” (Davidson, et al. p. 25). This ties in with Miller’s idea that being able cope with stress effectively is an imperative element to contemplative practice. It will be essential, in the pitching of this pilot program, to demonstrate through neuroscientific findings that the benefits of meditation are two-fold: on the one level, it can help educators to better look after their own mental health; which means, on another level, the educator will have more energetic stability to assist their students in overcoming their own daily life challenges.
I envisage these meditation workshops running weekly throughout each SFU semester. I plan to begin a pilot program with weekly workshops during the Fall semester of 2015, and hopefully have them regularly running through the Spring semester of the same academic year. The weekly workshops will run either in the evenings after weekday classes, or during weekend afternoons. Two workshops will be dedicated to each of the “four aspects” as outlined by Dr. Miller. To elaborate, the first two workshops will focus on coping with stress, the second two on development of self-learning, and so on. Each workshop will run for 2 hours and will include alternate ways of meditating. For the coping with stress sessions the participants will meditate over multiple incrementing time periods, punctuated with a free-writing exercise in-between. This will be a way of dealing with stressful thoughts, or as I term them ‘mind-snags,’ which are recurring thought-patterns based on emotional stories that do not serve the best interests of our mental health. The meditator will at first meditate for 5 minutes only; whatever recurring thoughts arise, are subsequently vented through a stream of consciousness writing process (another form of contemplative practice). They then return to their meditation practice, this time for 10 minutes. Afterwards, they repeat the clearing of thoughts through another writing exercise. This is followed by a 15 minute meditation and possibly even a 20 minute meditation. By dividing up the meditation sessions it allows beginning practitioners to engage in extended periods of mindfulness without the intimidation factor of having to sit still for a full standard meditation session (50 minutes). This form of meditation will serve as the beginning workshop series.
In the second workshop series – ‘the development of self-learning’ – we will experiment with meditation on sound through listening to music, with the hopes of deepening the participants’ introspection of self. By this point, members will already have had experience doing meditation in short sessions, so we would now begin to meditate for more extended periods, ranging from 30 – 40 minutes. The relaxation music will be performed live on guitars, as well as other instruments like Tibetan singing bowls and didgeridoos. The meditators will be required to use the sound vibrations of the music as a focal point in order to strengthen their concentration practice, assisted by guided imagery, orated by myself. The guidance will include body scans and visualizations that assist in becoming intimate with one’s internal nature. Afterwards, participants will be required to journal their insights again in a free writing style. A discussion will then take place between the group, allowing the members to openly share their insights and gain further knowledge of the workings of the mind, in both themselves and others.
The third workshop series is focused on overcoming a sense of disembodiment. In these workshops I intend to teach basic hatha yoga poses and qi gong breathing techniques, with a key focus on how to unite breath with bodily action. This reconnecting process of breath and body intends to ‘ground’ participants, by bringing energetic awareness to the entire body, rather than just isolating awareness in the mind, as we so often do. Partner exercises will also be done in order to move beyond this sense of separation between ‘self’ and ‘other.’ A short meditation as well as the usual journaling and discussion will follow these more physical activities.
The final workshop series is based on teaching from the authentic self; this will involve each participant teaching a personalized guided meditation to the group for roughly 10 minutes. This will cumulatively lead to the group participating in a 60-minute meditation, which will be the longest meditation within these workshops. By this stage, participants will ideally be comfortable enough in their practice, to be able to sit for more lengthy periods, as well as to guide the group. We will take turns in our guidance, preferably going around the circle, person by person.
These workshops are mostly influenced by Miller and Nakagawa’s claims on the importance of implementing meditation into education systems. In the Contemplative Practitioner, Dr. Miller claims his research has “found that meditation is very helpful in reducing the chatter in our minds and helps us focus more clearly” (Miller, 2014, p. 32). In doing so, our teaching presence simultaneously develops (Miller, 2001, p.7). Miller’s reasoning for this is that meditation allows for “the development of our deeper self rather than the ego.” (Miller, 2001, p.8) This “deeper self” is the authentic self that he lists in the four aspects; a self that, according to Dr. Nakagawa, does not just solely identify with a mind that “prevents us from knowing the deeper reality” (Nakagawa, 2000, p.179). It is this preventative mind that Miller is referring to as “the ego.” By moving beyond this mind, we can “teach from a deeper place [and, as a result,] experience connections with our students and colleagues.” (Miller, 2001, p. 8). In Education for Awakening, Dr. Nakagawa cites meditation as an essential contemplative practice in holistic education. His reasoning is heavily dependent on the findings of the eastern philosophical schools, all of which have utilized meditation practice as the “royal road to awakening…for thousands of years” (Nakagawa, 2000, p.177). The term “awakening” is referring to the cultivation of a spiritual wisdom in the practitioner that can bring clarity of one’s authentic self. In Buddhism, for example, this wisdom is called prajna; through its cultivation one can reach the ultimate form of clarity known as satori [enlightenment]. (Nakagawa, 2000, p. 196). I am in no way proposing, however, that educators need to reach a form of enlightenment in order to successfully teach meditation. What I am highlighting is the fact that meditation is a methodology that has been used consistently across all schools of eastern philosophy. This is a strong indicator that it is an effective practice in cultivating wisdom. It is for this very reason, I believe, that educators like Nakagawa feel it is an invaluable tool in an educator’s training and teaching. Moreover, Nakagawa (2000) makes clear that such inner wisdom or prajna cannot be taught through theoretical teaching but instead, must be “cultivated by practice” (p.176). To reiterate this pedagogical assumption, Nakagawa (2000) references fellow Japanese philosopher, Yasuo Yauasa, as stating:
“True knowledge cannot be obtained simply by means of theoretical thinking, but only through bodily recognition or realization; that is, through the utilization of one’s total mind and body…cultivation is a practice that attempts, so to speak, to achieve true knowledge by means of one’s total mind and body”(p. 176).
I agree with this pedagogical theory, that in order to have “true knowledge” of meditation one must have “bodily recognition” of the practice. As a result, I will make sure that the majority of my workshops emphasize the embodied experience of meditation. There will be some exploration of theory through our post-meditation discussions, but this intellectualization of meditation will be kept to a minimum.
The values that my meditation program adheres to are largely inspired by Nel Noddings “ethic of care” framework. Noddings poses the question: how can our natural inclination to care be extended from our private lives into the public life? (Beck & Cassidy, 2009, p.57) My program attempts to do that in a number of ways: firstly, the process of coming together each week to practice meditation will, I believe, initiate community within the group. It will, therefore, fit the ethics of care framework by offering “opportunities for people to connect with one another in relationships characterized by mutuality.” (Beck & Cassidy, 2009, p. 57) I plan to enhance this “mutuality,” by limiting the teacher-student hierarchy that often dominates these types of workshops. I will adopt the role of facilitator, rather than a traditional teacher-type role, in order to create that sense of equanimity between myself and my group members. Secondly, I endeavour to uphold the ethics of care framework by establishing that all dialogue between the group members is to be received in a non-judgmental fashion. This is so that participants feel comfortable to share their deepest insights into the nature of the mind’s workings. It is my aim for participants in this program to feel safe, through the open receptivity of our group dynamic. Meditation, by nature, is an intense practice that when done over extended periods can reveal blockages in our psyches that can be difficult to work through. Hence, it is vital for the space to be supportive to any challenges one might face before, after, or during these sessions. Finally, many of the meditations we do will incorporate a metta practice, which is the traditional Buddhist term for loving-kindness. In this type of meditation one focuses on the heart-centre, and visualizes an energetic form of love and compassion being emitted towards the person they wish to care for (Miller, 2007, p.180). The meditations, dialogues, and journaling aim to help participants to grow their “capacity to care” (Beck & Cassidy, 2009, p.58). This “capacity,” will ideally manifest as a care both towards oneself as well to others.
The on-going process of reflection and evaluation will be done through a collection of qualitative date through surveys and questionnaires filled out by group members at the end of each workshop segment, and also, at the end of the entire program. It will also be mandatory to complete an additional post-program survey and interview with myself, in which any longer term effects from consistent meditation can be explored further. Potential questions might include:
- “How often have you been practicing meditation since completing the workshop program?”
- “How effective do you feel your practice has been on your daily concentration levels, task management, motivation levels, and overall well-being?”
- Have you noticed any major differences in your lifestyle before and after beginning a consistent meditation practice?
Conclusively, I believe there is a great need and growing hunger for meditation in education. Through this program, I hope to begin the embedding of this particular contemplative practice into the SFU education system, with the overall intention of helping students and faculty members develop the “fours aspects of contemplation.” No doubt, certain obstacles will arise due to the discomfort many feel with the implementation of what is thought of as a spiritual or (quasi)-religious practice into a secular institution. Nonetheless, I am confident that the neuroscientific findings of meditations benefits will help overcome any type of backlash that may result from the introduction of my program.
References
Beck, K., & Cassidy, W. (2009) Embedding the Ethic of Care in School Policies and Practices. In Te-Riele, K. (Ed.), Making Schools Different: Alternative Approaches to Educating Young People (55-64). New York, NY: SAGE.
Collister, Rupert C. (2010). A Journey in Search of Wholeness and Meaning. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang AG, International Academic Publishers.
Davidson, Richard J., & Ricard M., & Lutz A. (2014, November). Mind of the Meditator. Scientific American, 311, 24-29.
Ergas, Oren. (2014). Mindfulness in Education at the Intersection of Science, Religion, and Healing.” Critical Studies in Education, 55:1, 58-72.
Miller, John P. (2007). The Holistic Curriculum. Toronto, Canada: OISE Press Inc.
Miller, John. P. (2001). Holistic Education in Japan: A Gaijan’s (foreigner’s) Journey. Retreived from https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/32407/1/HE%20in%20Japan.pdf.
Nakagawa, Yoshiharu. (2000). Education for Awakening: An Eastern Approach to Holistic Education. Brandon, Vermont: Foundation for Education Renewal.
A Review and Reflection on Thomas Merton’s The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation
March 15th 2015
Review
The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation is a compilation of Merton’s later essays, most of which were written in 1959. However, they were released posthumously, in 2003, when editor William H. Shannon reconstructed them into this recent volume. These essays capture some of Merton’s final musings on ‘contemplation,’ a topic he had explored throughout his entire monastic life. This, ultimately, demonstrates the evolution of his theories on contemplation, by bridging his earlier thoughts on Christian monasticism and mysticism with his later work on Eastern traditions (Brussat, 2012).
Due to the text being a compilation of notes on varying themes, it is difficult as a reader to find an overarching premise. Despite the tangential chapters and patchwork editing, there is a common thread binding the essays together: an in-depth examination of the art of contemplation, and further, how one can more fully engage the contemplative path. To elaborate, Merton is analyzing the various types of contemplation a practitioner can partake in. In doing so, the book becomes a ‘users-guide’ to contemplative practice. Moreover, because of his deconstruction of the various types of contemplative practice, the book is more accessible to the layperson, and not just the monastic. This is evident when Merton (2003) notes those who are not participating in religious monasticism –“active labourers” (p. 64) – may be on the “threshold of contemplation” (p. 64) without even knowing so. He labels these people as “hidden contemplatives” (p.64) engaging in a form of “masked contemplation” (p. 64). This means that they are, at times, unconsciously meditating in their everyday labours and simple prayer. Such contemplatives can experience what Merton (2003) calls, “infused contemplation” (p. 57); whereby a deeper connection with God is reached momentarily, but not one that the contemplative has consciously initiated. When a participant consciously initiates the path of contemplation, they undergo “active contemplation” (p.59). This kind of contemplation appears to be the most challenging form, as it can only be “reached after preliminary spiritual efforts of the contemplative himself” (p. 67). Such “efforts” consist of delving deep into the interior self, which hosts a darkness and emptiness that our more superficial self “fears and recoils from” (Merton 2003, p.53). Conclusively, it is only by stepping into this darkness that one can see the true light of God (Merton 2003, 72), and it is this very act that distinguishes the active contemplative from the other types.
The latter chapters act as a series of cautionary tales, giving warning to the aspiring active contemplative of the perils and pitfalls of such a path. Merton (2003) describes how one can stray from this walkway of active contemplation into a form of deluded contemplation, leading to false mysticism or neurosis (or both) (p.123). To counter this, he gives examples of Christian saints – Anthony, Augustine, and Francis – who have navigated the road of active contemplation successfully. Excerpts of their writings, within Merton’s book, demonstrate their spiritual realizations. As such, these Saints stand as role models and mentors for the aspiring contemplative, and their writings act like a compass to keep readers on track with their “active contemplation”.
Ultimately, Merton (2003) encourages those who are masked contemplatives to engage in active contemplation, as this can lead to “natural contemplation,” (p. 68) which is “divine enlightenment” (p. 68). According to this text, it seems this is the ultimate achievement for a Christian during their life on Earth. In summary, the book’s key intention is to guide these masked contemplatives, and other such contemplatives, toward natural contemplation. Only in this state, can one fully realize the union of the “inner I” with the “Almighty I“ of God (Merton 2003, p. 12). For a life in such union, is the ultimate form of service to God, and thus, the most fulfilling life a person can lead.
Reflection
After reading Notes on Contemplation, I realized that Merton’s description of contemplation aligns closely with my own experience of meditation practice. Merton (2003) defines contemplation as “a supernatural love and knowledge of God, simple and obscure, infused by him into the summit of the soul…” (p.73) Although I no longer use the term ‘God,’ my initial experience in meditation brought me into contact with a “supernatural love and knowledge” of something much greater. I began to refer to this greater force as ‘the Universe’, but this, I feel, is simply another name for God. Having grown up in a Catholic family, I was familiarized with the concept of God at an early age, but never felt a deep resonance with ‘Him’ during prayer in Church. It was only later, when I took up a Buddhist-style of meditation – zazen (seated meditation) – that I felt a deeper awareness of, and connection with, a much grander force at work: i.e God/Universe. In the contemplative practice of zazen, one practices shinkantaza or “just sitting” (Uchiyama, 2004, p.15) with a wholehearted focus on one’s breath. It is not intended to invoke a direct connection with God/Universe, but, for me, that is exactly what I felt was occurring. More specifically, this feeling was like a “response to a call: a call from [the One] Who has no voice, and yet…speaks in the depths of our own being” (Merton, 1961, p.3). This is yet another of Merton’s definitions of contemplation that resonates perfectly with my own experiences in zazen.
Perhaps Merton’s description of contemplation resonates with me because of his own understandings of Buddhism, which he cites extensively in this book. He compares the awakening of the Christian contemplative’s “inner self” to that of the satori – spiritual enlightenment – experienced by Zen Buddhist meditators (Merton 2003, p. 7). Nevertheless, Merton (2003) believed there was a “significant difference” (p. 11) between the experiences of Zen and Christian contemplation. In a comparative chapter, he observes that “in Zen, there seems to be no effort to get beyond the inner self. In Christianity, the inner self is simply a stepping-stone to an awareness of God” (Merton 2003, p. 11).
Having practiced both in the Christian and Zen tradition, I disagree with Merton on this point. Of course, I have not reached an awakening or satori; however, my contemplations reached through zazen, match Merton’s descriptions of “a supernatural love and knowledge of God.” I, therefore, argue that there is not a significant difference between the two experiences of contemplation. Merton believes the difference exists in the notion that God is a separate component of the inner self, and thus, we have to go beyond the inner self to re-connect with God. Originally, I also saw my own meditations as a method to connect with a force separate from me – something ‘out there.’ However, my studies in Zen meditation have taught me that there is no separation between the inner self and God/Universe. It is for this reason that Zen “makes no effort to go beyond the inner self,” for the inner self is God/Universe, and vice versa. Despite being a non-monotheistic religion, even if Zen did hypothetically accept an archetypal Christian God, it is plausible that ‘He’ would merely be a manifestation of the inner self, due to Zen’s philosophy of non-duality. Although Merton recognizes that this omnipotent figure, ‘God,’ can dwell within us, he still makes plain that “there is an infinite metaphysical gulf between the being of God and the being of the soul [inner self]” (p. 12). His concept of ‘God’ is still an omniscient and supernatural being, present within our interior self, but only accessible through contemplations that take us beyond that interior self. This is a dangerous way to perceive the divine force of creation, for if awareness of God is a “stepping-stone” away, it gives the contemplative practitioner the impression they must somehow find this ‘God,’ when really ‘He’ has existed within us all along.
Although I can relate to Merton’s description of connecting with ‘God’ through my own contemplations, I do not believe that this is a step beyond my inner self. My own meditations have taught me that an expanding awareness of a greater force in the cosmos (God/Universe) and any deeper connections that accompany it, are simply the connection with the inner self, which is a microcosm of this macrocosmic God/Universe. As a result, I align with Merton’s definition of contemplation as a “supernatural love and knowledge of God,” but wholly reject the notion that God is at all separate from our inner selves.
References
Brussat, F. Brussat, Mary Anne. (2012). Spirituality & Practice [Review of the book The Inner experience: Notes on Contemplation]. Retrieved from http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=6176
Merton, T. (2003). The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation. William H. Shannon (Ed.) New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Merton, T. (1961). New Seeds of Contemplation. New York, NY: New Directions.
Uchiyama , K. (2004). Opening the Hand of Thought. Tom Wright, Jisho Warner, and Shohaku Okumra (Eds.) Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications.
The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation is a compilation of Merton’s later essays, most of which were written in 1959. However, they were released posthumously, in 2003, when editor William H. Shannon reconstructed them into this recent volume. These essays capture some of Merton’s final musings on ‘contemplation,’ a topic he had explored throughout his entire monastic life. This, ultimately, demonstrates the evolution of his theories on contemplation, by bridging his earlier thoughts on Christian monasticism and mysticism with his later work on Eastern traditions (Brussat, 2012).
Due to the text being a compilation of notes on varying themes, it is difficult as a reader to find an overarching premise. Despite the tangential chapters and patchwork editing, there is a common thread binding the essays together: an in-depth examination of the art of contemplation, and further, how one can more fully engage the contemplative path. To elaborate, Merton is analyzing the various types of contemplation a practitioner can partake in. In doing so, the book becomes a ‘users-guide’ to contemplative practice. Moreover, because of his deconstruction of the various types of contemplative practice, the book is more accessible to the layperson, and not just the monastic. This is evident when Merton (2003) notes those who are not participating in religious monasticism –“active labourers” (p. 64) – may be on the “threshold of contemplation” (p. 64) without even knowing so. He labels these people as “hidden contemplatives” (p.64) engaging in a form of “masked contemplation” (p. 64). This means that they are, at times, unconsciously meditating in their everyday labours and simple prayer. Such contemplatives can experience what Merton (2003) calls, “infused contemplation” (p. 57); whereby a deeper connection with God is reached momentarily, but not one that the contemplative has consciously initiated. When a participant consciously initiates the path of contemplation, they undergo “active contemplation” (p.59). This kind of contemplation appears to be the most challenging form, as it can only be “reached after preliminary spiritual efforts of the contemplative himself” (p. 67). Such “efforts” consist of delving deep into the interior self, which hosts a darkness and emptiness that our more superficial self “fears and recoils from” (Merton 2003, p.53). Conclusively, it is only by stepping into this darkness that one can see the true light of God (Merton 2003, 72), and it is this very act that distinguishes the active contemplative from the other types.
The latter chapters act as a series of cautionary tales, giving warning to the aspiring active contemplative of the perils and pitfalls of such a path. Merton (2003) describes how one can stray from this walkway of active contemplation into a form of deluded contemplation, leading to false mysticism or neurosis (or both) (p.123). To counter this, he gives examples of Christian saints – Anthony, Augustine, and Francis – who have navigated the road of active contemplation successfully. Excerpts of their writings, within Merton’s book, demonstrate their spiritual realizations. As such, these Saints stand as role models and mentors for the aspiring contemplative, and their writings act like a compass to keep readers on track with their “active contemplation”.
Ultimately, Merton (2003) encourages those who are masked contemplatives to engage in active contemplation, as this can lead to “natural contemplation,” (p. 68) which is “divine enlightenment” (p. 68). According to this text, it seems this is the ultimate achievement for a Christian during their life on Earth. In summary, the book’s key intention is to guide these masked contemplatives, and other such contemplatives, toward natural contemplation. Only in this state, can one fully realize the union of the “inner I” with the “Almighty I“ of God (Merton 2003, p. 12). For a life in such union, is the ultimate form of service to God, and thus, the most fulfilling life a person can lead.
Reflection
After reading Notes on Contemplation, I realized that Merton’s description of contemplation aligns closely with my own experience of meditation practice. Merton (2003) defines contemplation as “a supernatural love and knowledge of God, simple and obscure, infused by him into the summit of the soul…” (p.73) Although I no longer use the term ‘God,’ my initial experience in meditation brought me into contact with a “supernatural love and knowledge” of something much greater. I began to refer to this greater force as ‘the Universe’, but this, I feel, is simply another name for God. Having grown up in a Catholic family, I was familiarized with the concept of God at an early age, but never felt a deep resonance with ‘Him’ during prayer in Church. It was only later, when I took up a Buddhist-style of meditation – zazen (seated meditation) – that I felt a deeper awareness of, and connection with, a much grander force at work: i.e God/Universe. In the contemplative practice of zazen, one practices shinkantaza or “just sitting” (Uchiyama, 2004, p.15) with a wholehearted focus on one’s breath. It is not intended to invoke a direct connection with God/Universe, but, for me, that is exactly what I felt was occurring. More specifically, this feeling was like a “response to a call: a call from [the One] Who has no voice, and yet…speaks in the depths of our own being” (Merton, 1961, p.3). This is yet another of Merton’s definitions of contemplation that resonates perfectly with my own experiences in zazen.
Perhaps Merton’s description of contemplation resonates with me because of his own understandings of Buddhism, which he cites extensively in this book. He compares the awakening of the Christian contemplative’s “inner self” to that of the satori – spiritual enlightenment – experienced by Zen Buddhist meditators (Merton 2003, p. 7). Nevertheless, Merton (2003) believed there was a “significant difference” (p. 11) between the experiences of Zen and Christian contemplation. In a comparative chapter, he observes that “in Zen, there seems to be no effort to get beyond the inner self. In Christianity, the inner self is simply a stepping-stone to an awareness of God” (Merton 2003, p. 11).
Having practiced both in the Christian and Zen tradition, I disagree with Merton on this point. Of course, I have not reached an awakening or satori; however, my contemplations reached through zazen, match Merton’s descriptions of “a supernatural love and knowledge of God.” I, therefore, argue that there is not a significant difference between the two experiences of contemplation. Merton believes the difference exists in the notion that God is a separate component of the inner self, and thus, we have to go beyond the inner self to re-connect with God. Originally, I also saw my own meditations as a method to connect with a force separate from me – something ‘out there.’ However, my studies in Zen meditation have taught me that there is no separation between the inner self and God/Universe. It is for this reason that Zen “makes no effort to go beyond the inner self,” for the inner self is God/Universe, and vice versa. Despite being a non-monotheistic religion, even if Zen did hypothetically accept an archetypal Christian God, it is plausible that ‘He’ would merely be a manifestation of the inner self, due to Zen’s philosophy of non-duality. Although Merton recognizes that this omnipotent figure, ‘God,’ can dwell within us, he still makes plain that “there is an infinite metaphysical gulf between the being of God and the being of the soul [inner self]” (p. 12). His concept of ‘God’ is still an omniscient and supernatural being, present within our interior self, but only accessible through contemplations that take us beyond that interior self. This is a dangerous way to perceive the divine force of creation, for if awareness of God is a “stepping-stone” away, it gives the contemplative practitioner the impression they must somehow find this ‘God,’ when really ‘He’ has existed within us all along.
Although I can relate to Merton’s description of connecting with ‘God’ through my own contemplations, I do not believe that this is a step beyond my inner self. My own meditations have taught me that an expanding awareness of a greater force in the cosmos (God/Universe) and any deeper connections that accompany it, are simply the connection with the inner self, which is a microcosm of this macrocosmic God/Universe. As a result, I align with Merton’s definition of contemplation as a “supernatural love and knowledge of God,” but wholly reject the notion that God is at all separate from our inner selves.
References
Brussat, F. Brussat, Mary Anne. (2012). Spirituality & Practice [Review of the book The Inner experience: Notes on Contemplation]. Retrieved from http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=6176
Merton, T. (2003). The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation. William H. Shannon (Ed.) New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Merton, T. (1961). New Seeds of Contemplation. New York, NY: New Directions.
Uchiyama , K. (2004). Opening the Hand of Thought. Tom Wright, Jisho Warner, and Shohaku Okumra (Eds.) Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications.